My tastes in metal do not ordinarily run to the progressive, which I frequently dismiss as fretboard masturbation of interest only to fellow musicians and not for ordinary music lovers. The same applies to use of melody, which I frequently consider to be for bands trying to sell as many copies as possible to a largely ignorant teen audience. But there are always exceptions, even to rules established by someone as hopelessly and arrogantly opinionated as yours truly; and Serenity are that exception.

Despite all expectations, I found myself immensely enjoying Serenity's debut of melodic prog metal. Elements of stalwarts Blind Guardian and In Flames can be heard, but Serenity clearly have their own characteristic voice, even at this early stage of their career. There are occasional growls, but clean vocals dominate. The keyboard tones can be rather cheesy, but not overwhelmingly so. This is not the kind of band I expected to find from Napalm, but I certainly wouldn't mind if they signed similar acts in the future.